is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by

Akimi Yoshida is a Japanese manga artist. Career She is a graduate of Musashino Art University. She made her professional debut in 1977 with the short story , published in '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine. Her following series were critical successes. H ...

, serialized in ''

Bessatsu Shōjo Comic , known as before 2000, is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It was conceived as a or "special issue" of its sister magazine ''Shōjo Comic''. It is released on the 13th of each month. Serializations Current * '' ...

'' from 1978 to 1981.

Synopsis

In 1975, wealthy delinquent Heath Swanson drops out of high school and runs away from his home in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, to live in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. While traveling across the United States, he stays in rural

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he meets a group of individuals who decide to join Heath on his journey to New York City.

Characters

; : The protagonist of the series. The youngest child of a wealthy and broken California family, his absentee father and estranged mother led him to become a

delinquent Delinquent may refer to: * Delinquent (royalist) In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees: the Sequestration Committee, which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and ...

and drug addict. His decision to become a

runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

and relocate to New York City acts as a catalyst for the events of the series. ; : A Puerto Rican teenager who Heath meets in Texas. He has lived a hard life in contrast to Heath's wealthy upbringing – he is impoverished,

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, and previously worked as a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

– but possesses a kind and cheerful disposition. ; : A painter and interior designer who meets Heath during his travels. A former drug addict, he assists Heath in his rehabilitation. ; : A teenage con artist who Heath meets and befriends in Texas while staying at a hotel owned by Butch's mother. ; : Butch's sister, who falls in love with Heath after meeting him in Texas.

Media

Manga

Yoshida, who was twenty years old when ''California Story'' was initially published, has said that she drew inspiration for the series from

American New Wave The New Hollywood, Hollywood Renaissance, American New Wave, or New American Cinema (not to be confused with the New American Cinema of the 1960s that was part of avant-garde underground cinema), was a movement in American film history from the ...

cinema (particularly ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

'') and the Japanese television drama ' (''Kizu Darake no Tenshi''). The series was serialized in the

manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

'' from February 1978 until December 1981, and was collected by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

as eight ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes published from November 1979 to April 1982 (listed below). The series has been reprinted as four

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bookbinding, bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other clo ...

bunkobon In Japan, are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and space-saving. The great majority of ''bunkobon'' are A6 (105×148mm or 4.1"×5.8") in size. They are sometimes illustrated and like other Japanese paperbacks usually ...

volumes published from December 1988 to March 1989, and as a four-volume

softcover A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

bunkobon set published in November 1994.

Stage play

In 2008, the theater company produced a theatrical adaptation of ''California Story'' written and directed by , which was staged at the Galaxy Theater in Tokyo from February 27 to March 9 of that year. The play, which featured a rotating all-male cast, starred

Tsuyoshi Hayashi is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his role as Special Police Dekaranger#Hoji, Hoji Tomasu/Deka Blue in the 2004 TV series ''Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger''. Filmography TV series * ''Kunimitsu no Matsuri'' (KTV, 2003, ep10-11) * ''Marusa!! ...

and as Heath, and

Shingo Nakagawa is a Japanese stage and screen actor from Tochigi Prefecture. Nakagawa was affiliated with the acting group D-BOYS, produced bWatanabe Entertainment He joined D-BOYS on the group's second open audition in July 2005, receiving the Judge's Choice ...

and as Eve. A

revival Revival most often refers to: *Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language *Revival (sports team) of a defunct team *Revival (television) of a former television series *Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously pro ...

of the play was staged at The Pocket in Tokyo from July 20 to August 5, 2018, with Kurata returning as director.

Other media

, a ''California Story''

art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind ob ...

, was published by

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and Fashion accessory, a ...

in 1982.

Reception and legacy

The series has been praised by critics for its unvarnished portrayal of the United States in the 1970s, and has been noted for its frank depiction of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, and drug use. The series is regarded as a precursor to Yoshida's later manga series ''

Banana Fish ''Banana Fish'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida. It was originally serialized from May 1985 to April 1994 in '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'', a manga magazine publishing manga (girls ...

'', with both works sharing a New York City setting and a thematic focus on youth romance, urban drama, and

homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

References

External links

*
''California Story''
at

''California Story'' 2008 theatrical adaptation
official website
''California Story'' 2018 theatrical adaptation
official website {{Betsucomi 1978 manga 2008 plays Akimi Yoshida Anime and manga set in the United States Anime and manga about crime Drama anime and manga LGBTQ-related anime and manga Shogakukan manga Shōjo manga